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York County Master Gardeners
The York County Master Gardeners were established in 1986 and have grown over the years to include 150 Master Gardener volunteers. We are here to share gardening information with York County residents. We hope you will visit our special pages to find out more about the Master Gardeners and gardening in York County.
 Who
are the York County Master Gardeners?What
do York County Master Gardeners do?How
do I become a Master Gardener? |
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Who are the York County Master Gardeners?
York County Master Gardeners are dedicated gardening enthusiasts who, because of their love of gardening, have expanded their horticultural knowledge and skills in order to share up-to-date gardening practices and techniques with the public. To become certified as a Penn State Master Gardener, individuals must complete 30 hours of formal training in core classes through the Penn State Master Gardener Course and then fulfill 50 hours of volunteer service to the Master Gardener Program. To retain certification, each year they must give 20 hours of volunteer service to the community and complete 8 hours of acceptable continuing education.
What do York County Master Gardeners do?
Master Gardeners volunteer their expertise to help the community in many different ways. Some of the volunteer projects York County Master Gardeners participate in are:
- Speaking to community groups and organizations on a variety of gardening topics through the Master Gardeners Speaker's Bureau.
- Operating the Garden Hotline to answer York County's yard and garden questions.
- Maintaining demonstration and trial gardens, including the gardens at John Rudy Park.
- Creating displays for shows and events. Master Gardener displays can be seen at the the Mid-Atlantic Flower and Garden Show, York Fair and the Pennsylvania Herb Festival.
- Teaching gardening to youth and adults.
- Teaching gardening classes.
- Writing for “Masterful Gardening,” a weekly column in the York Sunday News Home Sources section.
- Planting, maintaining and interpreting Mid-Atlantic Ecological Landscapes demonstrations gardens at the County Annex
- Planning GardenWise, a symposium of garden classes for gardeners.
How Do I Become a Master Gardener?
If you have gardening experience, a strong desire to share your time and love of gardening with others and a love of lifelong learning, you may be a good candidate for the Master Gardener Program. First and foremost, the Master Gardener program is a volunteer program where you will have many opportunities to interact with gardeners in the community.
The next Master Gardener classes will begin in August, 2010. Interested persons can call the Extension office at 840-7408 and leave your name, address and contact information. We will send out more information about spring orientation, testing and interviews in March, 2010.
The Orientation session will be held at the York County Extension Office, 112 Pleasant Acres Road, York, PA.
If you would like to learn more about the program, call 840-7408 between 9am and 1pm and ask to speak with a Master Gardener.
This page last updated Tuesday, November 10, 2009
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This site is a product of Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences.
Please e-mail us with your questions, comments or suggestions at YorkExt@psu.edu.